Becoming A Pilot
The Private Pilot Certificate is the most popular entry for
becoming a pilot. The process is divided into 3 stages.
The first stage involves preparing you for your first solo flight.
This stage is the most involved and most critical. It generally
requires ten to twenty hours of flying as well as approximately the
same number of ground
school hours. This stage establishes the fundamentals of knowledge and
flying while developing proper habits. Your
scheduling is most important so as too minimize time between
lessons. At the completion of this stage you will do your first
solo flight. In the past a lot of emphasis was placed on who
could solo in the least amount of hours, but nowadays everyone
has realized that being able to just takeoff and land is not what it
is all about.
In stage two you will be introduced to specialized
training. There are four basic modules:
1. Performance takeoffs and
landings
2. Night operations
3. Flying by reference to instruments only
4. Cross country flying
This stage again lasts about 10 to 20
hours.
The third stage is putting it all together and preparing you
for the FAA Practical Test. Before the FAA Practical Test you will be
required to pass an FAA written test. Generally speaking taking
this test at the end makes the most sense since you have been
introduced to all of the material by now. In the past much emphasis
was placed on taking this test early on since the test was mailed
to FAA headquarters in